Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment
The completion of embryonic development depends, in part, on the interplay between genetic factors and environmental conditions, and any alteration during development may affect embryonic genetic and epigenetic regulatory pathways leading to congenital malformations, which are mostly incompatible wi...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/444 |
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| author | Rodolfo Martín-del-Campo María Fernanda Calderón-Campuzano Isaías Rojas-Lleonart Raquel Briseño-Dueñas Alejandra García-Gasca |
| author_facet | Rodolfo Martín-del-Campo María Fernanda Calderón-Campuzano Isaías Rojas-Lleonart Raquel Briseño-Dueñas Alejandra García-Gasca |
| author_sort | Rodolfo Martín-del-Campo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The completion of embryonic development depends, in part, on the interplay between genetic factors and environmental conditions, and any alteration during development may affect embryonic genetic and epigenetic regulatory pathways leading to congenital malformations, which are mostly incompatible with life. Oviparous reptiles, such as sea turtles, that produce numerous eggs in a clutch that is buried on the beach provide an opportunity to study embryonic mortality associated with malformations that occur at different times during development, or that prevent the hatchling from emerging from the nest. In sea turtles, the presence of congenital malformations frequently leads to mortality. A few years ago, a detailed study was performed on external congenital malformations in three species of sea turtles from the Mexican Pacific and Caribbean coasts, the hawksbill turtle, <i>Eretmochelys imbricata</i> (<i>n</i> = 23,559 eggs), the green turtle, <i>Chelonia mydas</i> (<i>n</i> = 17,690 eggs), and the olive ridley, <i>Lepidochelys olivacea</i> (<i>n</i> = 20,257 eggs), finding 63 types of congenital malformations, of which 38 were new reports. Of the three species, the olive ridley showed a higher incidence of severe anomalies in the craniofacial region (49%), indicating alterations of early developmental pathways; however, several malformations were also observed in the body, including defects in the carapace (45%) and limbs (33%), as well as pigmentation disorders (20%), indicating that deviations occurred during the middle and later stages of development. Although intrinsic factors (i.e., genetic mutations or epigenetic modifications) are difficult to monitor in the field, some environmental factors (such as the incubation temperature, humidity, and probably the status of feeding areas) are, to some extent, less difficult to monitor and/or control. In this review, we describe the aetiology of different malformations observed in sea turtle embryos, and provide some actions that can reduce embryonic mortality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:03:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61d845cf7ad7489f96b38e08a10d94dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:03:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-61d845cf7ad7489f96b38e08a10d94dd2023-12-03T12:56:38ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-02-0111244410.3390/ani11020444Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and EnvironmentRodolfo Martín-del-Campo0María Fernanda Calderón-Campuzano1Isaías Rojas-Lleonart2Raquel Briseño-Dueñas3Alejandra García-Gasca4Department of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, CanadaMarine Turtle Programme, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología-UNAM-FONATUR, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82040, MexicoUniversidad Central “Martha Abreu” de las Villas (IRL), CUM Remedios, Villa Clara 52700, CubaMarine Turtle Programme, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología-UNAM-FONATUR, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82040, MexicoLaboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, MexicoThe completion of embryonic development depends, in part, on the interplay between genetic factors and environmental conditions, and any alteration during development may affect embryonic genetic and epigenetic regulatory pathways leading to congenital malformations, which are mostly incompatible with life. Oviparous reptiles, such as sea turtles, that produce numerous eggs in a clutch that is buried on the beach provide an opportunity to study embryonic mortality associated with malformations that occur at different times during development, or that prevent the hatchling from emerging from the nest. In sea turtles, the presence of congenital malformations frequently leads to mortality. A few years ago, a detailed study was performed on external congenital malformations in three species of sea turtles from the Mexican Pacific and Caribbean coasts, the hawksbill turtle, <i>Eretmochelys imbricata</i> (<i>n</i> = 23,559 eggs), the green turtle, <i>Chelonia mydas</i> (<i>n</i> = 17,690 eggs), and the olive ridley, <i>Lepidochelys olivacea</i> (<i>n</i> = 20,257 eggs), finding 63 types of congenital malformations, of which 38 were new reports. Of the three species, the olive ridley showed a higher incidence of severe anomalies in the craniofacial region (49%), indicating alterations of early developmental pathways; however, several malformations were also observed in the body, including defects in the carapace (45%) and limbs (33%), as well as pigmentation disorders (20%), indicating that deviations occurred during the middle and later stages of development. Although intrinsic factors (i.e., genetic mutations or epigenetic modifications) are difficult to monitor in the field, some environmental factors (such as the incubation temperature, humidity, and probably the status of feeding areas) are, to some extent, less difficult to monitor and/or control. In this review, we describe the aetiology of different malformations observed in sea turtle embryos, and provide some actions that can reduce embryonic mortality.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/444congenital malformationssea turtle embryosepigenetic mechanismsenvironmental factorsembryonic mortality |
| spellingShingle | Rodolfo Martín-del-Campo María Fernanda Calderón-Campuzano Isaías Rojas-Lleonart Raquel Briseño-Dueñas Alejandra García-Gasca Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment Animals congenital malformations sea turtle embryos epigenetic mechanisms environmental factors embryonic mortality |
| title | Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment |
| title_full | Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment |
| title_fullStr | Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment |
| title_short | Congenital Malformations in Sea Turtles: Puzzling Interplay between Genes and Environment |
| title_sort | congenital malformations in sea turtles puzzling interplay between genes and environment |
| topic | congenital malformations sea turtle embryos epigenetic mechanisms environmental factors embryonic mortality |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/444 |
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